A step to the wild side
by elfie-may
Summary: short story of Daines life from after the raiders attack to when she meets onua
1. being different

A/n never written anything before so soz if it is rubbish, plz review though!

Chapter 1

A brown haired, smoky eyed, girl looked out onto the valley, she saw fog resting in the heart, but she also saw smoke. As she tangled her fingers in her grey pony's mane, she made her way slowly through the trees to the village.

Veralidaine Sarrasri was known as the village bastard, with only her ma knowing who was her father. This didn't particularly bother Daine as she spent most of her time in the forest, making friends with animals, practicing her archery and collecting herbs for her ma's remedies. Daine found the animals and her pony, Cloud, better company than the other children in the village, and often spent the early evenings listening out for the call of the wolves. When she heard the cry she felt as though she was running with them, searching for their prey. The bustle of the hunt thrilled her.

Daine's ma was the village healer, but despite her position was often passed the snide about Daine, although she had delivered almost all of the village children. She had always encouraged Daine to play with the other children in the village but Daine refused every time she suggested it, and so eventually gave up. Daine never got on very well with most of the village.

Some friends of her ma's came to the house sometimes, like Hakkon Falconer who trained birds of prey for the lord. She enjoyed her talks with him about the birds and he even asked for her ma's hand in marriage but her ma had said that Daine's father would not be too happy about that as if he was just around the corner. He still visited even after that.

It was nearing the end of January when Daine's ma sent her over the valley to the next village, where her friend, who had just recently married, had developed a cough. Daine carried the medicine in Clouds where she warned the mare that if damage came to it she would singe her tail. Cloud trod carefully after Daine. Her ma had told her to stay there over night and come back the next day. Daine reached the house finding a newborn baby to occupy herself with. When her ma's friends husband, who was a shepherd, showed her his prize ewe, which was going to give birth to twin lambs Daine had to help. The ewe would have died if she hadn't been there. It was hard work for Daine so they let her sleep until noon by which time a thick fog had swamped the valley.

A/n plz review, encourage me 2 write a bit more! (unless it really is rubbish, in which case tell me!)


	2. the fog clears

A/n soz very short chapter o well…

Chapter 2

Daine stepped outside, the fog clung to her clothes and hair, muffling her senses so she couldn't see, hear or smell. Daine mounted Cloud and waved goodbye to her ma's friends and the fog engulfed them as the rode away.

As Cloud reached the top of the hill dividing the villages, the fog had started clearing and left them both with a horrific picture that would be engraved in her mind forever.

A/n short and sweet


	3. orphaned

Chapter 3

The bandits hit at dawn. The mill was destroyed and as Daine stepped carefully through the village, Cloud close behind her, she found the miller and his family along with many others. The bandits had taken the wheelwrights oldest daughter and the headman's wife. It seemed that some of the women had managed to gather some belongings and flee, leaving the men to protect their village.

She could see small groups of people going through the remains of houses that had been torched. She quietly trod through the village towards her home, where her grandda, ma, and herself had lived along with all their many animals. Daine hoped the raiders might face passed them but as she rounded the corner to face her home, she realised that the bandits must have known her ma was pretty too. The house had been torched, but the many enchantments and spells around the house had stopped too much damage occurring.

She opened the gate to her ma's herb garden to wind Mammoth, the family's oldest dog, lying across the path, waiting for her. He told her that her ma and grandda had died. They had tried to fight the bandits; even the ponies, horses, chicken and geese had helped fight the bandits and had even killed some of them. But there where too many bandits and they killed every single member of Daine's family, two leggers and four, and had left the village as quickly as they had arrived.

At this last statement, Mammoth died in her lap

Daine and Cloud buried every single last member of the family, even Clouds dam and sire. Cloud felt for Daine and Daine felt for Cloud and they comforted each other as they straightened the house up.

It was two whole days before anyone from the village came to see if anyone was alive in Daine's home. Daine was in a rage at their slowness. Her friends from the forest had checked the house the moment it happened. What made her even madder was that if her family where still alive they would all, Daine included, be in the village with bandages and ointment treated the wounded and sick.

As the villagers approached the house, Daine threw rocks and stones at them in anger.

If Daine's animal friends where the only ones who cared for her, she would go to them!


End file.
